1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to cue sports, and more particularly to a sliding sleeve accessory for use with a pool or billiard to make use of the cue more convenient and precise when executing shots.
2. Description of Related Art
Billiard games are mostly played with a stick known as a cue. The cue typically comprises a one piece tapered stick or a two piece stick wherein the pieces are adapted to be coupled together in the middle, such as by threaded connection. The cue typically includes a butt end, a tapered shaft projecting from the butt end and terminating at a ferrule upon which a rounded tip is affixed for making contact with the balls. A billiard player typically grasps the butt end of the cue with one hand (e.g. with the right hand, for right handed players) and supports the cue shaft by making a bridge with his/her other hand. A bridge is formed by placing a hand on the table and spreading the fingers apart such that the cue can slide between the “V” that is formed between the thumb and index finger, or alternately between index and middle finger knuckles. The billiard player then executes a shot by moving the cue longitudinally relative to the bridge hand with a short jab or thrusting motion. The smooth movement of the cue across the supporting surfaces of the player's hand is critical in executing precise shots.
The skin of the player's hand, however, is not an ideal sliding surface for a cue. For example, perspiration can cause the player to experience difficulty executing a shot by affecting the ability of the cue to glide smoothly over the skin. In an effort to address this problem, billiard players commonly apply a dry lubricating powder, such as chalk, to their cue support hand. The powder, however, must be repeatedly reapplied and is known to get on the player's clothing, the felt table covering, furniture etc.
Accordingly, various devices and methods have been developed in an attempt to overcome these limitations and disadvantages. The background art reveals a number of attempts to provide devices that reduce the friction between the cue and the player's hand. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 529,731, issued to Gschwendtner, discloses attaching a loose, but closely fitting sleeve to the guiding end of the cue which is laid on the guiding hand whereby the guiding end of the cue does not come in direct contact with the hand. U.S. Pat. No. 870,491, issued to Callaghan, discloses tubular cue sleeve through which a cue passes. The cue sleeve includes external structure to aid in the accurate positioning of the cue-holding hand. U.S. Pat. No. 2,931,649, issued to Furda, discloses a cue supporting device that allows the cue to be used by a single hand. U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,794, issued to Ciano, discloses a bridge-aid device for cues. U.S. Pat. No. 3,534,959, issued to Elswick, discloses a cue stick having a self-contained hollow guide member with a flanged sleeve. A flanged shaft portion of the cue stick is slidable within the flanged sleeve. U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,346, issued to Giannetti, discloses a guide adapted to be hand-held and adapted to receive the shaft of a cue stick so the cue stick may glide easily. The guide includes a depending support that forms a handle that supports the cue stick above the surface of the pool table. U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,457, issued to Triplett, discloses a sliding cue holder device having an upright post with a semi-spherical drum member fixed to the bottom post that provides a rounded bottom surface for engaging the playing surface of the pool table. U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,030, issued to Medbury, discloses a cue having a bridge sleeve through which the cue can slide. U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,282, issued to Possum et al., discloses pool cue having a freely slidable tubular sleeve disposed thereon. U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,481, issued to Walker et al., discloses a braided friction-reducing sleeve for a billiard cue shaft. U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,051, issued to Liu et al., discloses a pool cue having a sliding bridge sleeve with cleaning wipers. U.S. Pat. No. 7,169,055, issued to Mekosh, discloses a pool cue with a slidable sleeve and o-rings that prevent the sleeve from falling off the cue.
The various devices disclosed in the background art are burdened by a number of disadvantages and shortcomings that have limited acceptance and use of such devices in the field of cue sports. A number of the devices are bulky and overly complex and have thus not realized widespread acceptance. In addition, the sleeve-type devices generally fail to address the competing demands for an inner surface providing a low coefficient of friction to promote smooth slidable engagement and an outer surface that provides a comfortable fit with the player's bridge hand.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a pool cue adapted with a slidable sleeve that provides a smooth stroke while mating comfortably, yet securely, with the user's bridge hand.